Define and articulate the issue or problem in order to focus the effort
As land, water, fossil fuels and other natural resources, also called the Commons, are consumed or removed from the common resources, there is less available for others. As pollution is added to the land, water and atmosphere, the remaining common resources are not good enough for future generations to use.
The Lockean Proviso supports the privatization of the commons and must remain true for the continued justification of private property rights by individuals and corporations. The Lockean Proviso was devised as the criterion to determine what makes property acquisition just. When the Lockean Proviso is not true then private property acquisition is unjust to others.
The Lockean Proviso is true when there is enough left in common for others and the quality is good enough so that others are not deprived of the use of the common resource. An unsustainable world is when the quantity or quality of the commons is depleted so that others are deprived of resources.
Explicit purpose
What is a sustainable world that you would like to live in, that would satisfy your deepest dreams and longings? Envisioning a sustainable world is not easy.
The purpose of the Sustainable World Project is to develop a model of a system with a goal of having the Lockean Proviso always remains true.
Reference Behavior Pattern (RPB)
The RBP of a Sustainable World would begin by decreasing depletion of common resources and decreasing pollution of the Commons to below a strict cap or limit. Over time the measured pollution of land, oceans, fresh water and the atmosphere would decrease below a strict limit. Over time the depletion of resources from the Commons would decrease below a strict limit.
Over time, increasing rents as revenue provide funding for Guardian organizations to operate and maintain protected resources. Over time, increasing conversion of private property to protected resources increases the resources under the control of Guardian organizations.
Diagram
Formulate Model
The model represents a generic design to be implemented at multiple levels: local, nation-state and global. There are organizational relationships between the Guardian and Commercial organizations at each level. The global, nation-state and local laws and regulations will need to be in alignment to support the goal of a Sustainable World.
Stocks
Protected Resources: Public Trust and Public Domain resources protected by governments, common trusts.
Common Resources: The biosphere, land, oceans, fresh water, atmosphere and the living things that depend on the biosphere for life.
Private Property: Resources removed from the Commons for Commerce to increase profits and accumulate wealth
Flows
Guardian organizations control all the flows. Strict penalties and resource caps or limits are imposed to make sure enough resources remain and returning wastes to the common resources does not stop others from using common resources. The Guardian organizations primary goal is to make sure the Lockean Proviso is always true.
Protecting: Limit the depletion of common resources (through preservation and appropriation) by shifting commercial systems to rent protected resources instead of depleting common resources. Over time this flow increases and then decreases as the whole system comes into balance.
Privatizing: The Lockean Proviso must be true that there are enough resources remaining for others. Guardian controls the flow. Over time this flow is restricted and the commercial system shifts to renting protected resources.
Returning: The Lockean Proviso must be true that what remains in Common must be good enough for others. Pollution of the Commons by private property owners is unjust to others. Over time this flow is restricted and the commercial system absorbs the costs and reduces waste.
Renting: A Trust rents a proportion of the protected resources beyond a cap to the private sector or other business entity. The private sector profits from the use of resources outside the cap. A percentage of this rent is taxed by government and redistributed to citizens as dividends or subsistence income, with emphasis on the poor and marginalized. Rental or user fees are also reinvested in the rehabilitation of depleted resources (such as land, rivers, oceans, atmosphere) and investment in renewable resources.
Converting: Private property is converted to a protected resource managed by a trust or public agency as Guardian. For example, private farmland given to federal government for a wetland or national wildlife refuge.
Develop and Represent Dynamic Hypothesis
In System Dynamics, a dynamic hypothesis is the proposed structure of a mental model that includes feedback loops that can be operationalized to make a model for simulation.
The diagram above represents a mental model that requires modification to include feedback loops to represent the controls over the flows based on the stocks. Proposed feedback loops include:
Common Resource levels are compared to precautionary resource caps to decrease or increase privatizing.
Common Resource quality levels are compared to precautionary pollution caps to decrease or increase returning wastes to the Common Resources.
Protected Resource levels are compared to precautionary resource caps to decrease or increase renting.
Protected Resource quality levels are compared to precautionary pollution caps to decrease or increase renting.
Protected Resource levels are compared to precautionary resource caps to decrease or increase converting.
Protected Resource quality levels are compared to precautionary pollution caps to decrease or increase converting.
The diagram above has stocks that represent accumulations of resources. However, feedback loops listed above also require measurement of the quality of the resources. There needs to be feedback loops so that the quality of the resources are not depleted causing the remaining resources to not be available for protecting, privatizing or renting. Also, to improve the quality of protected resources Guardians might require increase of converting resources from private to protected status.
Dynamic Organizing Principle
Powerful adaptive and self-organizing forces shape systems. The model of this system is no exception. The dynamic organizing principle is that the Lockean Proviso must be true.
The dynamics of the model will change over time to include feedback loops that dynamically change the model from a beginning state to new dynamic state so that the Lockean Proviso is true. That means the model developed here will represent a beginning state for the system and not be a final system model.
The dynamic organizing principle includes the Guardian ethical system embedded in each feedback loop to protect the Lockean Proviso from becoming not true. Each feedback loop described above and any additional feedback loops must be controlled by Guardians and aligned with the Guardian ethical system.
Define and articulate the issue or problem in order to focus the effort
As land, water, fossil fuels and other natural resources, also called the Commons, are consumed or removed from the common resources, there is less available for others. As pollution is added to the land, water and atmosphere, the remaining common resources are not good enough for future generations to use.
The Lockean Proviso supports the privatization of the commons and must remain true for the continued justification of private property rights by individuals and corporations. The Lockean Proviso was devised as the criterion to determine what makes property acquisition just. When the Lockean Proviso is not true then private property acquisition is unjust to others.
The Lockean Proviso is true when there is enough left in common for others and the quality is good enough so that others are not deprived of the use of the common resource. An unsustainable world is when the quantity or quality of the commons is depleted so that others are deprived of resources.
Explicit purpose
What is a sustainable world that you would like to live in, that would satisfy your deepest dreams and longings? Envisioning a sustainable world is not easy.
The purpose of the Sustainable World Project is to develop a model of a system with a goal of having the Lockean Proviso always remains true.
Reference Behavior Pattern (RPB)
The RBP of a Sustainable World would begin by decreasing depletion of common resources and decreasing pollution of the Commons to below a strict cap or limit. Over time the measured pollution of land, oceans, fresh water and the atmosphere would decrease below a strict limit. Over time the depletion of resources from the Commons would decrease below a strict limit.
Over time, increasing rents as revenue provide funding for Guardian organizations to operate and maintain protected resources. Over time, increasing conversion of private property to protected resources increases the resources under the control of Guardian organizations.
Diagram
Formulate Model
The model represents a generic design to be implemented at multiple levels: local, nation-state and global. There are organizational relationships between the Guardian and Commercial organizations at each level. The global, nation-state and local laws and regulations will need to be in alignment to support the goal of a Sustainable World.
Stocks
Flows
Guardian organizations control all the flows. Strict penalties and resource caps or limits are imposed to make sure enough resources remain and returning wastes to the common resources does not stop others from using common resources. The Guardian organizations primary goal is to make sure the Lockean Proviso is always true.
Develop and Represent Dynamic Hypothesis
In System Dynamics, a dynamic hypothesis is the proposed structure of a mental model that includes feedback loops that can be operationalized to make a model for simulation.
The diagram above represents a mental model that requires modification to include feedback loops to represent the controls over the flows based on the stocks. Proposed feedback loops include:
The diagram above has stocks that represent accumulations of resources. However, feedback loops listed above also require measurement of the quality of the resources. There needs to be feedback loops so that the quality of the resources are not depleted causing the remaining resources to not be available for protecting, privatizing or renting. Also, to improve the quality of protected resources Guardians might require increase of converting resources from private to protected status.
Dynamic Organizing Principle
Powerful adaptive and self-organizing forces shape systems. The model of this system is no exception. The dynamic organizing principle is that the Lockean Proviso must be true.
The dynamics of the model will change over time to include feedback loops that dynamically change the model from a beginning state to new dynamic state so that the Lockean Proviso is true. That means the model developed here will represent a beginning state for the system and not be a final system model.
The dynamic organizing principle includes the Guardian ethical system embedded in each feedback loop to protect the Lockean Proviso from becoming not true. Each feedback loop described above and any additional feedback loops must be controlled by Guardians and aligned with the Guardian ethical system.
Map the Hypotheses